Baja Designs Strykr

I searched and very little is mentioned about this light. Thus, the new thread.

I, like many of you, have a MS900 lightset. It has been a good light, and it is certainly a lot brighter than my DiNotte 200L. Unfortunately, the battery is garbage and has been recalled. This is not news to most of you.

In early December 2010 I learned Baja Designs had a new bicycle light, the Strykr, and was offering a $100 trade in towards a new Strykr. I had an old Nite Rider Digital Evolution laying around that was virtually worthless, so I decided to send it to Baja Designs for a trade in. I got a $100 credit towards a new Strykr. Incidentally, the NR only cost me $30 at an REI garage sale.

There was an order mix-up and it took a while for me to get my Strykr, but it finally came on Friday, 01-07-11. Today, I commuted for the first time with it. Side by side, it is noticeably brighter than the MS900. It is rated conservatively at 700 lumens/52 lux spot 54 lux flood. Remember, while the MS900 is rated at 900 lumens, we all know it's really about 550 lumens. Also, the MS900 has been measured at 37 lux. It's refreshing to have a relatively accurate/honest lumens rating from the manufacturer.

The Strykr is built like a tank: it has a lifetime warranty on the light head, is built to mil-specs, and is waterproof to 33 feet (yes, it can be used for snorkeling/scuba diving down to 33 feet). It came with 2 reflectors: a spot which I used for my commute, and a flood, which I plan to use for trail riding. For a total cost of $215 I got a first quality light that is as good as the best lights currently available.

I don't know the technical details on the LED. I do know its a quad-die something-or-other of whatever bin is the best quality. It has four modes: low, med, high, flash. It has thermal management programmed in: when it starts to get hot, the processor will reduce the light output to manage the heat. This means if I leave it on while stopped for 5 minutes, I won't need to worry about whether it's getting too hot. The light will manage that for me.

When Geoman makes good on the MS900 battery issues, and I'm confident he will, I'll have an excellent helmet light to complement the Strykr.

I think there's been a fair amount of mention of this light if you just scroll back over the last month or so. Me and a cycling bud have the Strykr and have been very pleased with our lights. Mine is on hiatus right now due to the generally crappy weather here in Chicago, but I plan on busting it back out at the first opportunity. I also sprang for the new QR mount that comes with the Pro. Works very well and is perfect for my use on mostly a cyclocross bike, but also road and mountain bikes.